Appreciation
by Winterwing3000
Summary: What if Spike chose to regain a corporeal body rather than saving Winifred? What if the Reaper did kill Fred? Minor SpikeFred


**Disclaimers** on everything that I don't own.

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Appreciation,

By Winterwing3000

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"Hurry Spike! You've only got one chance to get a-!" Fred shouted as the power generated, but choked when something grasped tightly onto her neck.

"Fred!" Wesley said, heading in her direction. Angel and Gunn rushed to her side. However, all three men were knocked down. Spike appeared through the walls and into the lab, glaring hatefully at Reaper.

"I've always wanted to do this." Reaper hissed at him. "Now choose. You've only got one choice. A body or the girl…!"

Spike looked back from the seal he was standing in front of, the one that could give him a body and allow him to remain in the human dimension, to Fred, the girl who worked to exhaustion in order to give him a corporal body. If he could just make it in time…

The blonde vampire jumped into the machine and watched with guilty eyes as 'the reaper' slit Fred's throat. White blinding light and excruciating pain filtered his body. Once he felt the coolness on the tile floor, Spike lunged at the two, tearing them apart.

Fred gasped as she fell onto the floor. Gunn and Wesley recovered from their knockdowns and hurried to the fallen girl, while Angel helped tackle the Hell Cheater(1).

Reaper merely disappeared, leaving Wolfram laboratory with a vicious laugh, escaping as the ghost he was. Spike and Angel landed on the floor as Gunn and Wesley called out to Fred, who was slipping by the second.

"Fred! Hang on! Gunn, call an ambulance!" Wesley instructed as he pressed a cloth to Fred's neck. The two vampires immediately went over to her.

"Wesley… don't bother… who needs a freak like… me in this… world anyways." She heaved, with a small grin on her face, trying to lighten the mood.

"Fred, come on Love, don't talk such nonsense. You're the genius remember?" Spike said, head hanging down. "You've helped me get my body back."

"I… am glad … that I helped… you, Spike." Fred gave a weak smile to him.

The blood of the cut soaked through the handkerchief and stained Wesley's hand.

Her blood… of course…

"I'll return the favor…" Spike mumbled his mind made up. He took her body from Wesley, who protested, until Angel placed a heavy hand on the ex-Watcher's shoulder. Angel knew what his grand-childe was going to do… he just hoped that Spike will have no regrets in doing so.

"Thanks… then…" Fred whispered gratefully, the last thing she heard were sirens and the world went black.

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"Hey, Fred, want anything?" Knox asked as he opened her office door.

Winifred looked up from the many files scattered about her desk, her black framed glasses at the tip of her nose and her hair hanging loose about her face. She gave Knox a cheery smile and said, showing him her sharper canines. "Maybe some blood, thanks!"

"Uh… okay, I'll see what I can find." He said weirdly, not sure if there were any in the building.

"Just no human blood please. I'm kinda not into the idea of being a cannibal and all; though… does drinking human blood make me a cannibal? Then again, maybe some swine or cow blood will work! But… I'm not really sure about the cow's blood. I heard that they're carrying mad cow disease. So I think I'll just have some pig's blood. You know where to get it right? If you don't I could just go and get it myself!" She answered her own questions happily, not remembering that she's ranting again.

"Yeah, uh… I think I left something in basement, so you'll just go and enjoy yourself, okay?" Knox told her, inching out the door.

"Okay, that's fine. I think Spike's down there anyways!" Fred gave him another smile and marched out of her office, carrying her mug and a couple of manila folders in hand.

As she headed down into the lounge, Fred found Spike in there, just as she had predicted, flipping through a magazine with his legs propped onto the table.

"Hey Love, how're you enjoying your new life?" he asked absentmindedly, not looking up from his source of entertainment.

"Great! Though… there are some quirks about being a vampire." She told him, heating up her mug of blood in the microwave.

"Glad you're enjoying it Fred." Spike smirked at the science genius, who in return awarded him with a brightening smile.

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Note: This is Alternate Reality (AR).**

Reaper's not dead, don't know why I bother wasting my sympathy on him, but…

**AN:** I was inspired when I just watched the show. Bleh, I think Spike works well with Fred, or Willow… ehehe… And this is the first time I've written Angel. So if I'm off the mark about anyone of them, do tell! Review?


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